Arts & Lifestyle

The hunt for a successor is on but the there is no point reading the tea leaves if you don’t take into consideration these following facts. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is 62 years old this year. He became PM on Aug. 12, 2004. At 52 then, PM Lee was Singapore’s oldest prime minister.

While I acknowledge that there are some shortcomings in Singapore as no system is perfect, one ought to look at the bigger picture in order to fully appreciate the situation. As we approach our 50th year of independence, it is my hope that young people who do not know the kind of suffering their forefathers went through start appreciating the standard of living in Singapore.

HDB: “CJ” is wrong. All employees of HDB, regardless of their appointments, go through the same process as any other Singaporean applying for an HDB flat. They do not get any special priority in balloting for flats, nor any other perks related to purchasing an HDB flat. All applications are also put through a computer ballot to determine the queue number for flat application, and every ballot is witnessed and endorsed by auditors.

Part of the problem is that hawker food is too cheap. While there has been dismay over price increases, in reality they have not increased significantly in recent years. An article last year ("Serving up a good deal for hawkers"; May 30, 2013) noted that overall, the price of chicken rice has increased a mere 50 cents since 1993.

Workers who say they are forced to quit after their employer makes life unbearable should not expect to get any extra compensation other than that guaranteed in their contracts. This is the norm in typical cases of "constructive dismissal". And workers will have to show proof of actual loss stemming from the dismissal, such as mental or emotional duress, if they hope to get extra damages. The top court in Singapore made this clear in dismissing former Robinsons employee Lawrence Wee's appeal against the High Court, which had rejected his claim for damages after he argued that he had been pushed out by his employer.

I went for a swim at Clementi Swimming Complex with a friend. After the swim during our bath, this guy came out of the cubicle and immediately started to ogle at my parts below my waist and walked out. Initially, I thought he was just looking and nothing else.

During the prayer sessions, special attention was always given to the Mother Tongue Language teachers because, as I was told, this group of teachers was the most resistant when it came to accepting the Christian faith.

Many Singaporeans often boast that their country has the best gay scene in all of Asia! If you get a chance, we really recommend that you stop off at the Backstage Bar and the Tantric Bar for some great company and people watching. You can also visit DYMK which has the hilarious name of: Does Your Mother Know, for some great drinks.

A LIFEGUARD was arrested for sexually abusing a teenager after the boy consulted a doctor for warts on his anus following a sexual encounter with the man. Chew Ee Cheong, 31, was arrested on April 2 and found to be infected with syphilis after being screened at the Department of STI Control (DSC) Clinic. Chew pleaded guilty last month to performing oral sex on the victim, a minor, in a shower cubicle of a swimming complex.

The flasher had exposed himself, then urinated on two pupils of Park View Primary School in Pasir Ris along Drive 1 on July 21. The police are investigating the case. Flashing incidents have also been reported by pupils from another primary school at Pasir Ris, Meridian Primary.